Under the shadow of civil war and questions over the poll's credibility, the initial round of Myanmar's phased general election closed on Sunday (Dec 28), with signs of low voter turnout for the first polls since a military coup in 2021.

The junta, having crushed pro-democracy protests after the coup and sparked a nationwide rebellion, said the vote would bring political stability to the impoverished Southeast Asian nation, despite international condemnation of the exercise.